Daingnet National Development Party Chairperson U Aung Kyaw Zaw presented party’s policy, stance and work programmes as follows:

Esteemed Nationalities and People

Mingalaba!

I am Daingnet National Development Party Chairperson U Aung Kyaw Zaw from Buthidaung in Maungtaw District, Rakhine State.

Daingnet National Development Party applied to form the party on 20-3-2015. The Union Election Commission, on 27-8-2015, allowed us to start the party with political party registration number 100. Now, I would like to talk a little bit about ethnic Daingnet people.

Daingnet people was formerly known as Thet, Thetkama, Sak, and Sakkama. Daingnet people still call themselves Sakkama, which means capable person. Sakka means capable and Ma means person, so Sakkama means competent person. During the British colonial era, Daingnet was called as ethnic Sak. English presumed Daingnet as an honest, hard-working and trustable racial group. Bamar and Rakhine call the racial group Daingnet. Sak is another name of the racial group Sakkama (Chakma).

Esteemed Nationalities and People

After talking about the ethnic group, I would like to have a brief talk about why the party was formed. In the past, Daingnet people did not understand what politic is. They were not interested in politics. So, you may want to ask why a Daingnet political party was formed. The majority of Daingnet people are not educated. They are poor. They are unassuming. They collectively live in rural villages, and they rely on farming for their living, so they are not interested in politics, and they do not understand politics. Some people brought Daingnet people to towns and persuaded them. Daingnet people dared not complain and did what their benefactors asked, whether it was fair or not. They suffered from deep troubles.

In this era, a few Daingnet people move to cities and receive education, and work at government offices. Then, they noticed how big was the gap separating their standard of living from other racial groups’ benchmark. They realized why there was a gap and why they were poor. They learned why other racial groups gained opportunities and why Daingnet people lost opportunities. Some Daingnet people became to feel that they should provide leadership to achieve equality and fairness. Young Daingnet people started working hard to improve their education. Many Daingnet people began trying to get jobs at government offices. Even when they did at government offices, they got only low-rank jobs, and there was no top official who is Daingnet. They became to be interested in how to ask for justice and equality and with whom they should cooperate.

They observed Myanmar’s politics and the situations of Rakhine State, and they came to realize that they should have a political party that can demand rights for Daingnet people.

Esteemed Nationalities and People

In this multiparty democracy era, we the Sakkama or Daingnet people, after a round of negotiations among us, have founded the Daingnet National Development Party as similarly as the other national races within Myanmar.

I will briefly present the Daingnet National Development Party’s policy and action plans.

Policy

1. To work cooperatively with all national, ethnic people so that the Republic of the Union of Myanmar can stand on its dignity among other countries;

2. To work cooperatively with all national, ethnic people to achieve disciplined multiparty democratic system;

3. To take greater efforts to improve education, healthcare, socio-economic aspects, and transportation for ethnic Daingnet people while promoting the standard of living of other national, ethnic minorities;

4. To promote friendship, mutual trust, mutual respect, mutual support, and tolerance between different ethnic groups to foster family spirit between them;

5. To preserve tradition, culture and national character of Daingnet people, and innovatively adapt them to modern needs.

Action plans

1. All national, ethnic groups have sovereignty over the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, so all national, ethnic groups will unitedly work so that Myanmar can stand on its dignity;

2. To ensure national equality, mutual respect, individual rights and freedom in implementing a multiparty democratic system;

3. To work hard for the development of ethnic Daingnet people and other national, ethnic minorities who were not well developed and lost opportunities because of lack of knowledge;

4. With “Union Spirit”, to cooperate with all stakeholders in working for national interests;

5. If necessary, to collaborate with other na tional, ethnic groups, political parties and organizations for the development of Daingnet ethnicity.

Esteemed Nationalities and People

The headquarters of the Daingnet National Development Party is located at number 593, Min Saw Mon Road, Thapyaygone Quarter in Buthidaung in Maungtaw District in the Rakhine State.

Party’s flag and emblem

1. It is a flag of red and yellow horizontal bands. The upper band is red, and the lower band is yellow;

2. On the left corner of the red band, there is a big white star;

3. Red represents bravery; yellow represents the protection of race and religion and peace. The big white star represents “the Union”;

4. The party’s flag can be used in various sizes with a ratio of 5:3;

5. Daingnet National Development Party’s emblem consists of a black shield and a Sakkya circle on the yellow background circle. The upper part of the symbol mentions the caption “Daingnet National Development Party”. Under the black shield, there is a caption “D.N.D.P”. Yellow represents the protection of the race and peace; the black shield represents Daingnet people. The Sakkya circle represents a powerful and brave ethnic group.

Esteemed Nationalities and Ethnic People in Rakhine State

We are an ethnic group of the Rakhine State. Since a long time, various ethnic groups such as Khami, Mro, Thet, Rakhine, and Daingnet live in the Rakhine State through thick and thin. Under the Constitution, our Daingnet National Development Party, in cooperation with our alliance parties, will take more significant efforts for unity, development, equality, creation of a federal system and the benefits of the Rakhine State and ethnic groups.

So, in conclusion, I would like to request all Daingnet people and all residents of the Rakhine State to vote for our Daingnet National Development Party, which emblem features “Shield and Sakkya Circle”.

May all of you have excellent health and wealth.

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